Improvement



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS HOLMES, OF wILLIAMsBURe, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN EMBALMING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,885, dated December10, 1861.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS HoLMEs, of Williamsburg, county of Kings, andState of New York, have invented new and useful Apparatus for FillingBlood-Vessels of Dead Bodies; and I do hereby declare that'the followingis a full and exact description thereof, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,making a part of this specification.

The nature of myinvention consists in the arrangement and combination ofa regulating-spigot with an air-chamber containing a piston, cylinder,ejecting-pipe, valve, and discharge-pipe, which are placed over a vesselcontaining a fluid. The piston pumps up the fluid and forces it throughthe ejecting-pipe and spigot (which operates as a regulator) into adischarge-pipe, which is inserted and fastened to an artery in one ofthe limbs of a body. The fluid is then injected through all the vesselsof the aorta and veins of the corpse or dead body.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe it.

A represents the piston; 13, the air-chamber; O, the cylinder in whichthe piston operates; D, the valve; E, the ejection pipe which conductsthe fluid through the spigot F into a discharge pipe or tube G, which Iconnect to a blood-vessel of a dead body.

The spigot F acts as a regulator of the flow of the fluid, the top orscrew part H being raised or lowered to diminish or increase thequantity of fluid; I, the stuffing-box to prevent the air from escaping.

The ejecting-instrument is placed over a pail containing about a gallonof a fluid mixture. The fluid is drawn up by the drawing up of thepiston A. The packing or lower end of piston is made of a piece ofbuckskin that opens like an umbrella as the piston is drawn up and shutsas the piston is again pressed down, operating as a valve. Thus thefluid passes up through the valve D as the valve D rises, and is carriedup the cylinder C by the buckskin valve or point of piston A, thenceinto the chamber B, and is forced through the ejecting-pipe E.

By this invention I do not in anywise mutilate or deface the body toembalm it. I merely open an artery and inject a fluid which penetratesand permeates all the blood-vessels of a corpse, which frees it of alloffensive odor and keeps itin an excellent state of preservation.

I do not claim the devices of a force-pump or ejecting instrument, asthey are wellknown; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the chamber B, inclosed pump 0, and regulatingstop-cock H, in the manner and for the purposes stated.

THOS. HOLMES.

Witnesses:

' J. FRANKLIN REIGART,

J OHN HOLLINGSHEAD.

